Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023 shortlist announced: big names and debuts

The Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023 shortlist has been announced, with three debut novels among the six titles. The winner will be announced on 13 June 2023.

The Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023 shortlisted novels are:

• Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris
• The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
• Pod by Laline Paull
• Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

The judges, chaired by Louise Minchin, said: “We were blown away by the quality of the longlist this year, and it was incredibly difficult to narrow it down to six. The shortlisted novels are all beautifully written and thought-provoking, and we are delighted to have them on the shortlist.”

Watch the shortlisted authors speak about their novels as part of the Women’s Prize for Fiction event

Minchin’s fellow judges are the novelist Rachel Joyce, journalist, podcaster and writer Bella Mackie, novelist and short story writer Irenosen Okojie and Labour MP Tulip Siddiq.

• Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris. A debut novel about a young woman who flees her home in Zimbabwe to start a new life in London.
• The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. An unforgettable reimagining of the life of a young woman whose proximity to power places her in mortal danger.
• Pod by Laline Paull. The bestselling author  returns with a transformative new novel of an ocean world, that is increasingly haunted by the cruelty and ignorance of the human race.
• Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks. This debut novel is about a young woman who is trying to find her place in the world.
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. A woman returns to her hometown to confront her past.
• Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. A family is torn apart by a secret.

Following the announcement, Laline Paull expressed her heartfelt thanks for being shortlisted.

The Women’s Prize for Fiction is an annual award for the best fiction novel written by a woman. The prize was founded in 1996 by the organizer of the Orange Prize for Fiction, which was rebranded as the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2013. The winner of the prize receives £30,000 and a specially commissioned limited-edition bronze figurine of a woman reading.

Remember to check out the International Booker Prize shortlist and Rathbones Folio Prize winners. Check out Irenosen Okojie’s work from the Jaipur Literature Festival.